BLACKSBURG -- The big-screen television in Eric Johnston's Cambridge Square apartment was tuned to ESPN, as always.

But the Virginia Tech senior was unaware of the "Outside the Lines" program the network aired Sunday. It said 19 Virginia Tech football players were living in the Section 8 apartment complex despite receiving housing stipends as part of their scholarships.

Johnston isn't an athlete. His mother is a professor at Old Dominion University, and his father is a loan officer. He said it doesn't cost him or his roommates anything to live in the apartment.

"Our situation, you know, is basically the same," he said, referring to his two roommates, both of whom are Tech football players.

"I'm broke, and they're broke. A lot of the money they get ... goes back home. I have a work-study job, and that money goes back home."

Johnston declined to name his roommates but said they legitimately benefit from the Section 8 program.

"Marcus, he wouldn't be able to be one of my roommates," he said, referring to Tech quarterback Marcus Vick, brother of millionaire Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.

Marcus Vick doesn't live in Section 8 housing. But because of a loophole in the law, he probably could -- along with nearly every other college student in the country.

That loophole appeared poised to close Tuesday through legislation sitting on the desk of President Bush.

Students have qualified for program since 1995

Johnston said he found out about the opportunity for Section 8 housing from a friend who was benefiting from it while a student at Tech.

Word of the loophole has had a decade to spread.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development, which administers Section 8 housing vouchers, expanded the definition of "low income" in 1995 to allow students with low incomes to more easily earn degrees.

Since then, students have been able to qualify for subsidized housing without factoring in their parents' income or financial aid.

David Snepp, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), said legislation that would close that loophole was passed by the Senate last month and sent to the President for approval Monday.

The legislation would require parental income be taken into account for students applying for Section 8 housing unless they are 24 or older, have children, are married or are military veterans.

The legislation is an amendment to an appropriations bill. Snepp said the president signing it into law is just a formality. The law will go into effect within 30 days of being signed.

More than athletes use subsidized housing

Neither Cambridge Square Apartment management nor officials with All American Realty, which owns the complex, would comment.

Brett Rader, who administers subsidized housing vouchers in Montgomery County for nonprofit subcontractor Pembroke Management, would not comment. Local and state HUD officials did not return phone calls.

Cambridge Square residents said about 80 percent of the tenants in the 40-apartment complex were students. There are three vacancies, residents said.

One resident who refused to be identified said Tech safety and Cambridge Square resident Justin Hamilton had his car covered in toilet paper after appearing on "Outside the Lines."

Johnston, who is from Virginia Beach, said many students who come to Virginia Tech need the subsidized housing because they don't come from families with much money.

Johnston said he had to prove that his internship this summer wasn't a paid internship and his income from his work-study was closely scrutinized.

He's glad he heard about the Section 8 loophole and has given similar advice to his friends.

"If you are broke, get on the waiting list," he said.

Iowa newspaper brought up issue a year ago

The issue was brought to light last year by the Des Moines Register, which detailed how several Iowa State football players were living for free thanks to the program. This prompted U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, to propose the legislation.

ESPN focused the national spotlight on the issue in its "Outside the Lines" broadcast, which didn't focus solely on Virginia Tech.

It detailed how student-athletes at the universities of Iowa and Nebraska lived in subsidized apartments while receiving housing stipends that the NCAA allows them to spend however they want.

Vince Doria, senior vice president and director of news for ESPN, said Tuesday that ESPN had access to a database that listed residents of Section 8 housing across the nation.

When they crossed that search with Virginia Tech's roster, several Tech football players showed up. Doria said he didn't know how widespread the trend is, but the fact that it involves students from schools so far apart geographically was telling.

Virginia Tech officials declined to be interviewed for the ESPN story. Tech spokesman Larry Hincker told ESPN that it appeared to be taking an editorialized position. He also said the issue is a matter for politicians, not the school.

Doria agreed that the issue should be handled by the government, but defended the story.

"I think it's fair and balanced. We offered them the opportunity to respond," Doria said. "Clearly the intent of Section 8 housing was not to provide housing for athletes who are receiving a stipend."